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Katie Bickell

Katie Bickell

Author, Instructor, Manuscript Consultant

Home | News & Events | Always Brave, Sometimes Kind: A 2021 Alberta Literary Award Finalist

Always Brave, Sometimes Kind: A 2021 Alberta Literary Award Finalist

News & Events

It may or may not surprise you to know that I keep books stashed all around my house. Georges Bugnet’s translated novel, “The Forest,” hides beside my front door, because that’s probably where it wants to be – as close to outside as possible.

I first read and reread (and reread) Bugnet’s book in college. I marked almost every page with a highlighter and/or pen. I loved the characters and delved into the psychology behind their development. The novel is a tragedy, almost a ghost story, the Forest playing villain, opponent, steadfast victor.

A big reason why I was so enchanted by the novel was because the book takes place in Athabasca – or, at least, in Alberta’s boreal – and, as a (immigrant) child of Northern Alberta, it was the first time I’d seen my adopted home reflected in literature. As I wrote my book, Always Brave, Sometimes Kind, I felt it was important to continue that story. When it was once suggested my book might enjoy more success if not so regionally placed, I was adamant: I wanted to write about home.

What an honour it was to learn earlier this month that ABSK has been shortlisted for The Alberta Literary Award’s Georges Bugnet Fiction Award. I couldn’t be more delighted to have placed a book in my name as a finalist to an award bearing his.

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The Writers’ Guild of Alberta’s jury deliberated over 250 submissions, narrowing down to 30 finalists in its ten award categories. The list represents some of the incredibly talented Albertan authors who published a book in 2020. As I shared with ABSK publisher’s Touchwood Editions for their April 9th blog, I am so proud to represent Alberta in my work, and to be in the company of such inspirational storyteller’s from across the province.

The shortlist announcement was made on April 8, with the final announcement planned for mid-June. 

Interested in reading Always Brave, Sometimes Kind, for yourself? Purchase your copy from local Albertan retailers, including Creative Goods & Co., Kreative Kustoms, Audrey’s Books, Glass Bookshop and Owl’s Nest Books. 

Already have your copy? You can receive a free, signed bookplate by entering your email address here. And join me, alongside fellow ABSK readers, for two upcoming author reading and Q&As: one at Warburg Library on April 20, and the other at High River Library on April 26.


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Set in the cities and rural reaches of Alberta, Katie Bickell’s debut novel is told in a series of stories that span the years from 1990 to 2016, through cycles of boom and bust in the oil fields, government budget cuts and workers rights policies, the rising opioid crisis, and the intersecting lives of people whose communities sometimes stretch farther than they know.

We meet a teenage runaway who goes into labour at West Edmonton Mall, a doctor managing hospital overflow in a time of healthcare cutbacks, a broke dad making extra pay through a phone sex line, a young musician who dreams of fame beyond the reserve, and a dedicated hockey mom grappling with sense of self when she’s no longer needed―or welcome―at the rink.

Always Brave, Sometimes Kind captures a network of friends, caregivers, in-laws, and near misses, with each character’s life coming into greater focus as we learn more about the people around them. Tracing alliances and betrayals from different perspectives over decades, Bickell writes an ode to home and community that is both warm and gritty, well-defined and utterly complicated.

Amazon.ca / Audreys Books / Indigo / Amazon.com / Bookshop.org / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells

April 14, 2021 ·

Be Brave, Be Kind.

ABC Founder, Katie Bickell

Thank you for visiting Always Brave Creative! I’m Katie Bickell, the Founder of Always Brave Creative and award-winning author of the novel, Always Brave, Sometimes Kind.

It takes guts to put yourself out into the world, but to the brave go the spoils. That’s why we’re passionate about helping our clients tell brave stories – whether that means promoting them through professional resume preparation, captivating brand development, manuscript consultation, or a website so beautiful there’s no fear of losing customers to online’s many competing distractions. We want you to be heard.

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    In March I shook off my pandemic funk. A trip to C In March I shook off my pandemic funk. A trip to Cuba brought me back to life and I made an intention to harness the energy. This morning I met my goal, five months in the making.

I wanted to feel strong again. I have a very vivid memory of the best I’ve ever felt: in this memory, I am 26. At this time I was still nursing my youngest daughter, and training for a half marathon. It was an unremarkable day, but, in this memory, I am running and the sun is at my back. I can see my shadow in front of me, and I can feel the way my ponytail swings behind me. I’m on Cloverbar road, just in front of the firehall. What I can’t feel are my legs: I’ve just crossed 7K and my mind has turned off from that part of my body. They’re doing their work but from my perspective, I just feel like I’m flying.

In March, I realized how badly I wanted to go back there to that moment of freedom - or at least try to. Although I’ve been a daily long distance walker for years, I didn’t know if I could still run and hadn’t tried but for a kilometre or so about once a year (usually around my New Years resolutions lol). Worst, this time last year I partially tore my Achilles’ tendon, an injury that had me on crutches and sunk any confidence I had in my physical strength.

But this time I took myself seriously. I started a “Dream Big, Start Small” program on the @runkeeper app, and then signed onto the #trainwithrunkeeper #myfirst10k program once it had completed. Today I finished the program and ran for a full hour - something I haven’t achieved in the last decade! 

It’s been a hard won win: tendon pain, plantar fasciitis, then knee pain, and now piriformis pain I’m treating with massage and yoga. A spring and summer of ice packs, Tylenol, wraps, and liquid glucosamine and turmeric gummies. But today I made it to that moment: full freedom, flying.

Not a full 10K (yet), but the end of the Runkeeper program, and 60 minutes running: no stop, finishing strong ❤️
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Forgot to take photos of our “home with a crowded table” during a beautiful Easter dinner, but so loved stretching the holiday out over three days dyeing #pysanky with @lisasana, @liv.nich, Brynn, Caily, and Chloe. We used various teas along with beet powder and turmeric to make dye on Friday night and drew with the wax from tea light candles on Saturday and every night girls ran to and from our homes under the warm weekend’s full moon. The kids had such fun blowing the eggs that (thank goodness) we moms didn’t have to 😂 

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